Home Is Where The Heart Is
by RealityIsNegotiable
Summary: Tension has been escalating between the boroughs for months, one wrong move and a Newsie war could break out in a second. Unfortunately for Clara Scott she is sent to Manhattan just in time to be in the middle of inevitable Newsie War. Spot/OC
1. Welcome to Eleanor Grove's Academy

"Welcome to Eleanor Grove's Academy for Young Ladies," a gravelly, British voice rasped behind me.

I jumped slightly at the sound of the woman's voice then turned away from an unusual painting that was hanging on the wall beside me. I twirled to see two women were walking slowly up to me. The older woman looked to be in her early fifties with graying hair and slight limp in her left leg; the wrinkles deepening on her forehead as her already present scowl intensified while she looked me up and down. I squirmed a little under her intense look of disproval. I could tell she did not like the way I looked or dressed.

My brown curly hair was not pulled back into a neat bun like other girls I had seen walking around earlier. My dress was just a little bit past my knees and the color was apparently too bright for her taste, seeing as the other girls were dressed in grey and were almost covering their shoes. The woman herself was clothed in a dark grey dress that barely hovered above the floor; the woman's graying hair was pulled back so tightly that the woman's skin was being tugged on_. That looks really painful,_ I thought with a grimace.

The younger woman couldn't have been older than twenty five. Her dark brown hair was tied back as well but not as skin pulling as the older woman's. She also had on a dark grey dress that almost touched the floor but hers had shorter selves than the older woman's.

"You must be Clara Scott," the older woman said with a click of her tongue.

The woman took a step towards me and continued giving me a look. The woman's scent immediately attacked my nose; she smelt like peppermint and an odd perfume that I couldn't identify. It took all my willpower not to take a step back.

"Uh, yes," I said.

"Hmm," the woman replied. "My name is Ms. Adams, you may address me as ma'm, head mistress, or ms, nothing else. I am not here to be your friend, motherly figure, or someone you shall look up too. I am here to teach you proper ways of lady and how a lady should act in the presence of a man. I do not expect you to know much about decency, seeing as you are from the…country. But I am very good at my job and I shall make you into a proper lady. Charlotte, go get Tally."

Charlotte curtsey then took off down the long hallway to find this Tally. I played with the selves on my dress but stopped when Ms. Adams gave me a pointed look. I gave her an apologetic smile which in return, Ms. Adams gave her a small glare before turning away. I sighed quietly and stood there until I saw Charlotte coming back down the hall with a girl following.

I watched as a girl, who was about a year older then I was; walk over to Ms. Adams and me. Her fine, light brown hair was pulled pack into a neat bun, not a hair out of place. Her dark grey dress didn't have a single wrinkle on it and her lips were pulled into a straight line. Her icy grey eyes held all of her emotion; I could already tell she didn't like me. I glanced back at Ms. Adams and saw she had a tight smile as Tally walked closer to us. I looked away from Ms. Adams quickly, her smile was quite creepy.

"You called me Head Mistress," Tally said quietly while she avoided all eye contact.

"Ah, Tally," Ms. Adams said. "I would like you to show Miss. Scott around the school, teach her the rules of the academy, and retrieve her uniform. Show her to her room as well. I'll have Charlotte will deliver her schedule later so don't worry about it."

"Of course, Head Mistress," Tally replied with a smile but it disappeared as soon as it came. "Come with me Miss. Scott and we will obtain your uniform first."

With that Tally walked back in the direction in which she came without so much as glancing at me. _Oh joy_, I thought_, I can already tell this school is going to be pleasure to be at._ I slightly bowed my head at Ms. Adams, whose uncanny smile had evaporated as soon as I looked her way. I smiled slightly at Charlotte who smile back at me then I scrambled to catch up with Tally. I threw my bag over my shoulder as soon as I caught up with her, she glanced at me with hostility then looked at the bag I was carrying with repulsion.

"What?" I asked.

"You're the scholarship girl, aren't you?" she spat.

"Yes," I said warily.

"I thought so," she said. "Let's get this straight, girls like you don't belong here with girls like me. I believe there have only been five, maybe six, other girls like you who were on scholarships. They only lasted a few weeks at the maximum."

"Trust me, I don't want to be here," I said bitterly after I few moments of silence. "I would rather be back home in Pennsylvania, not here in Manhattan."

Tally rolled her eyes but said nothing and continued walking, speeding up her pace as if she was trying to shake me. I gladly choose to stay a few steps behind her. As we were walking, I looked at all the decorations hanging on the wall and frowned at how scary and depressing they were. They were either of glaring old people or of gloomy night skies; they were all painted of with dark colors. _I guess it goes with the theme of the school,_ I thought, _sinister and discouraging. _

Tally suddenly stopped in front of me and I barely had enough time to stop so I wouldn't run into her. She opened a large door that was to the left of us and went through it. I tried to follow her but she slammed it in my face before I even had a chance to get in. My face flushed red slightly and I looked around hoping no one saw what happened. I stood awkwardly in the hall, wishing no one would come and ask me what I was doing just standing there.

I saw a chair sitting by the door Tally went into and was going to sit on it when I heard humming coming from down the hall. I shifted my eyes, looking for a place to hide when a girl about my age came barreling down the hall. Her ash-blonde hair was pulled back but strands were falling out, her dress just above the ankles and was a light yellow color. She was about to go down another hallway when she glance in my direction and redirected herself.

"What are you doin' standing in the middle of the hallway," she said, a slight southern draw to her voice. "You lookin' like an idiot just standing there. Who are you anyway? I've never seen you around before."

"That's because I just got here," I said. "I'm Clara."

"Oh, you must be the new scholarship girl everyone has been talking about," the girl exclaimed.

I slightly bristled at the word scholarship and the way she said it. _These _I could tell Ms. Adams didn't want me here as much as I don't want to be here. Charlotte didn't say a word to me or anyone for that matter, so I didn't know her opinion. Tally flat out told me I didn't belong here and wasn't to kind about it either. _These_ _girls are so judgment, _I thought harshly.

"What's wrong with that," I asked gruffly.

"I didn't mean it like that, Clara," she said quickly, throwing her hands up in an apologetic manner. "In fact, I'm kinda on scholarship as well. This place was better than the other option they gave me. I'm Felicity, but call me Sunshine, it's what my brother and his friends call me. By the way, why are you just standing here?"

I blinked at Felicity, er, Sunshine, with interest. She seemed nice enough and generally sorry when she thought she struck a nerve, which she had, by using the word scholarship. _Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought all the girls were going to be, _I thought.

"I'm waiting for…Tally," I said hesitantly, not so sure said girl was coming back.

Sunshine wrinkled her nose in disgust and growled slightly at Tally's name.

"Oh, I didn't know you were friends with _her_," she scoffed.

"Hardly," I laughed without humor.

Just as Sunshine was about to speak, the door Tally had went through had opened and revealed an annoyed Tally and two other girls that were giggling. The taller of the two new girls had flaming red hair and dark brown eyes, freckles flooded her face. The other one, had soft blonde wavy hair and dark blue eyes. The two girls stopped laughing as soon as the saw Sunshine and I standing in the hallway, their smiles turned to frowns.

"Here," Tally said, shoving a grey dress in my face.

"Thanks," I said, indifferently.

Tally rolled her eyes at me before shifting them on Sunshine who was giving her a death look. Tally's lips curled into a menacing smile then snaked her arm around the blonde girl who was now smirking as if she knew what Tally was going to do.

"Looky here, Savannah," Tally said, imitating Sunshine's accent badly and twirling her hair . "If it ain't Felicity, the girl who thinks her Newsie scum of a brother is gonna come back for her!"

"But Tally," the girl, Savannah, said also imitating a bad southern accent. "He promised he's come back to save her even though it's been over seven months since their parents died."

The three girls laughed loudly but not too loud to get caught not acting ladylike. I blinked in shock at how cruel Tally and her friends were being to someone who had apparently lost her parents less than a year ago. I shifted uncomfortably to my left foot and glanced at Sunshine. To my surprise she didn't show any signs of being hurt by their words.

"At least my parents cared for me," Sunshine said blankly. "If they were alive today, I wouldn't be here unlike you. Your parents got rid of you the second they had a chance."

All the laughing ceased, Tally glared hatefully at Sunshine. Savannah and the other girl gave each other uneasy looks. The room suddenly felt like it dropped a few degrees. I unconsciously took a step back. For a few moments, no one spoke and all was quiet, you could probably hear a pin drop from the other side of the school.

"Savannah, Rebecca," Tally barked at them over her shoulder. "We are leaving." She looked at me. "And you, find your own way around."

Sunshine and I didn't speak even when Tally and her friends were out of sight. She kept staring at the way they went with a glare and frown on her face. I swallowed and kept quiet. Sunshine finally turned around to face me; I saw that she had red rimmed eyes. _I guess their comments did get to her,_ I thought. Sunshine saw the look I gave her so she turned away from me. I had never really been the comforting type of person; especially to someone I had just met but one look in her pain filled sea blues eyes had me wanting to console her.

"Hey, don't listen to them," I said trying to sound cheerful, slowly putting my hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure your brother will come back for you, I mean, who would just leave their sister?"

Sunshine sniffed then shrugged my hand gently off her shoulder. I retraced my hand instantly and felt stupid for trying to comfort a person I didn't even know.

"I know he will," Sunshine said after a few seconds. "I was actually going to met him today at three. We're gonna have a late lunch at a restaurant called Tibby's with a bunch of his friends." Sunshine paused and looked at me. "You know, you can come too. Call me crazy but I think we could become very good friend."

"I-I don't know," I stumbled. Sunshine gave me a sad look before starting to walk away. I bit my lip and took off to catch up with her."You don't think it will be to awkward for your brother and his friends."

"No," Sunshine said bluntly. "They love meeting new people, especially pretty girls like you."

Sunshine winked and smiled at me before taking my free hand and leading me up a staircase. When we got to the top of the stairs I looked around and saw there was a bunch of doors. _This is probably where the bedrooms are_, I thought. Sunshine guided me to the end of the hallway and opened a door; it creaked a little as it was opened. Inside the room, it was very plain. The walls were painted white with not one decoration hanging except a small mirror. The bed was a little larger than the one I had back home and had a simple head board. There was a three drawer dresser that had a candle sitting on top of it.

"This is your room," Sunshine said. "Hurry and clean up, I don't want to my brother to get impatient. I'll be just across the hall."

As soon as Sunshine left, I just stood in the middle of my new room and taking it all in. Though this place defiantly was a lot nicer than the house I had back in Pennsylvania, it just wasn't home. After a few minutes, I moved towards the mirror and fixed my wild hair then stopped realizing it was stupid to make myself pretty for a bunch of guys I didn't even know. I walked over to the window and looked outside. The yard outside the school looked beautiful with the green thriving grass and endless supply of flowers. Some of the passerby's would look through the gates and point at the things they thought was exquisite then they would be on their way. _If only they knew what it was like on the inside, I_ thought.

I turned away from the window and headed towards the door. I opened my door, went across the hallway, and knocked on Sunshine's door. She opened the door after a few milliseconds. She was still wearing the same yellow dress but her eyes were no longer red.

"Ready?" Sunshine asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Alright, we have to be careful leavin'," she said. "We're not supposed to leave without an escort. We especially can't leave to go see Newsies; Ms. Adams thinks they're improper, "_Those boys are nothing but trouble and indecent. I will not have my girls associate with them._ ""

I laughed at Sunshine's imitation of Ms. Adams and followed her down the hallway.

**What do you guys think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? I'd love to know.**

**And yes, I did delete this and rewrite it.**

**XO**

**RealityIsNegotiable**


	2. The Newsies

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies (sadly) just my OC's Clara Scott, Sunshine, and Storm**

"So what exactly is a Newsie," I asked.

I was currently sneaking out of Eleanor Grove's Academy on my first day with a girl I had just met named Sunshine. We were leaving the academy without permission, which could get you expelled for by the way, to met Sunshine's brother and his Newsie friends for a late lunch. My short time here, about an hour, was less than pleasant. The head mistress, Ms. Adams, had me convinced she was the devil incarnate only after spending ten minutes with her. Tally, a girl that was prejudiced against girls who came to the school on scholarship, hated my guts within the first minute of seeing me. Sunshine, real name Felicity, was the only redeeming thing about this terrible school. She is also my first friend and probably the only decent girl in the entire school.

"They're newsboys, that sell papes for a livin'," Sunshine said. "My brother's been one since our parents died seven months ago. The reason I'm not with him is cause he wants to make enough money to support both of us, he doesn't want me sellin' papes cause he doesn't want me to get hurt. Which I think is stupid, they have girl Newsies in every borough. I think he's just scared that I'd upstage him or somethin'."

I was about to ask another question when Sunshine put her finger up to her lips, signaling me to be quiet. I shut my mouth instantly and looked around to see what Sunshine wanted me to quiet for. Suddenly, Sunshine pushed me into an open door that was near us; I caught myself at the last second from falling flat on my face. I turned to see Sunshine slipping in through the doorway after me and closing the door quickly but quietly. I gave her a puzzled look but she just shook her head and put her hand up to her mouth again. Everything was silent for a quite a few minutes, I was about to move when I heard faint footsteps coming down the hallway.

_How could Sunshine have heard that?_ I thought.

Sunshine leaned towards the door and put her ear on it to hear better. The footsteps got louder until they were right in front of us; the footsteps paused for just second outside the door then the person the footsteps belonged to went on. We stayed quiet until Sunshine was sure whoever had just walked by was gone. Sunshine tip toed over to a large window as an extra precaution and waved me over to where she was standing. I, as well, tip toed over and stood by Sunshine, waiting to see what she'd do next.

"Okay," Sunshine whispered. "We're gonna go out through the window, crawl on the roof to the other side of the school, climb the fence, and met my brother and his friends who'll help us down. K?"

I looked at Sunshine with an astonishing look then I looked at the ground and estimated how far down it was. _That's almost twenty feet, _I thought sickly. Then I looked towards the roof which was about five feet from the window. I turned my attention back to Sunshine with a look of horror on my face.

"You're not serious, are you?" I asked.

"Of course I am," she said. "How else do you think we'll get out of the school? Walk through the front door? I don't think that'd go over so well with Ms. Adams."

"Yeah, well, I don't think scaling the wall would either," I said.

"Quit being a baby," Sunshine said. "Here, I'll go first then I'll help you up, okay. I promise I won't drop ya."

I gave Sunshine a look and she laughed before slithering through the window. I watched her go up the wall, biting my lip nervously. I also kept watch, hoping no one from inside or outside the school would see Sunshine going to the roof via window. Finally, Sunshine was safely on the roof, hidden from passing people. We waited a few minutes to be sure no one had seen Sunshine climb to the roof before she helped me up.

"Okay, Clara," Sunshine's faint voice said. "Climb out the window and grab my hand as quickly as you want. Just don't look down, it's pretty high up."

"What makes you think I'm scared," I scoffed.

"I saw the way you looked down at the ground when I said we were going out the window," Sunshine laughed. "Your face was hilarious."

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see. _So immature,_ I thought. She was right though, I was deathly afraid of heights; I had terrible experiences with them when I was younger. I swallowed before going through the medium size window; I kept my eyes shut until I was turned around facing the wall. _Okay, this isn't so bad_, I thought. I was about to reach up and grab Sunshine's hand when a large gust of wind threw me off balance. I quickly grabbed onto the ledge above the window and closed my eyes, not moving an inch.

"You okay Clara," Sunshine questioned.

"Yeah," I said shakily.

"You need to grab my hand quickly," Sunshine said. "Before another gust of wind comes or someone sees you."

I opened my eyes and saw Sunshine was looking at me with worry in her eyes, her hand was held out for me to take. I reached up and took her hand, she immediately hauled me up. I let go of Sunshine's hand when she pulled me close to the ledge so I could pull myself over. I instantly got down on my hands and knees so no one would see me. Sunshine crawled over to me and sat down.

"You okay," Sunshine asked.

I nodded my head, not trusting my voice to speak. We sat there for a minute before Sunshine started to crawl away, heading towards the opposite end of the school. I followed closely behind.

"Hey, Sunshine," I called. "How'd you know someone was coming back there?"

"Tally caught me once tryin' to sneak out," Sunshine said over her shoulder. "She told Ms. Adams but she had no proof. Ms. Adams believed her, of course, but she couldn't just expel me without significant proof. So now she has a teacher patrol the hallways every ten minutes tryin' to catch me."

"Why would Tally want to get you kicked out that badly," I asked.

"She's just a terrible person, Clara," Sunshine said, matter of factly. "She doesn't need a reason. I couldn't see my brother for a whole month because of her."

I stayed quiet after that, I didn't know what to say. I know Tally was an awful girl but my mama always said that there was a reason behind every human action, good or bad. I remembered when Sunshine and Tally had their little clash in the hallway. When Sunshine had said that Tally's parents got rid of her the second they could, I noticed Tally's eyes flashed in pain. It was only for a second but I was sure I saw it. _Tally is probably just hiding her pain behind her tough girl attitude_, I thought, _even if she is hurting, it doesn't make it right to lash out at others. _

Sunshine and I continued our journey across the roof until we reached the ledge. I was about to ask how we'd get down, when I spotted a rope just sitting there. Sunshine looked over at me and grinned.

"What," Sunshine said innocently. "I needed a way to get out since the teachers became police men."

I smiled at her and laughed. Sunshine tied the rope to a hook, which I had no idea why it was there in the first place; I have a feeling Sunshine was the one who put it there. She threw the rope over the edge then she looked in the distance and started grinning. I looked over to see what she was grinning at. I saw three boys walking to the school at a medium pace, they looked like they were joking and laughing with each other.

"See that tall one," Sunshine said. "That's my brother."

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Oh, I never did tell you, did I," Sunshine said, looking down as if she was embarrassed. "His name is Ryan but don't call him that, call him by his Newsie name; Storm. He got that nickname because he loves when there's a storm."

"Is Sunshine your nickname," I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And I got it because, if you couldn't tell by the name, I Iove the sunshine. Now, come on. Do you want to go first?"

I shook my head no; Sunshine shrugged her shoulders and headed down the rope. I watched anxiously, hoping she wouldn't fall and break her neck. Luckily she got down safely without a single problem. Sunshine waved at me, telling me I can come down now. I took a deep breath and started my ascend down; I prayed that no huge gust of wind would knock me off the rope. Fortunately, I got to the ground without difficulty and had my feet firmly on the ground when another gust of wind came barreling by.

Sunshine and I took off towards the fence. The fence was about ten feet high but luckily it didn't have spikes on the top. Sunshine stopped a foot before the fence then turned towards me.

"We have to wait for my brother," Sunshine said. "He doesn't want me climbin' over the fence without him. He doesn't think it's safe. He's just too protective, I think. Do have a brother?"

"No," I said. "Five sisters though, all younger than me."

"I only have Storm," Sunshine said. "I wish I had a sister too, so I could have someone to talk to about girl problems, like boys. Storm doesn't even like me to think about boys, so I can't talk to him. The other girl Newsies are nice and all but they believe they live a different life style than me so I can't really talk to them either."

"Well," I said. "You can talk to me if you want."

Sunshine smiled at me and looked away, watching her brother and his friends coming closer. Sunshine's brother was handsome; he had ash-blonde hair like his sister and from where I'm standing, it looked like he had the same sea blue eyes. He had dimples and a soft, welcoming smile that any girl would fall in love with. He was wearing black knickers with a white shirt and cap. _He's defiantly his sister's brother, I_ thought.

The boy walking to the right of Storm was also wearing knickers and a white shirt but he had a plaid vest over the top of it; he was also wearing a cap and had a cigar in his mouth. The other one had an eye patch over his left eye and also had a white colored shirt with a light salmon colored vest and a cloth tied around his neck. _They sure are interesting_, I thought.

"Hey Sun," the one with the eye patch yelled.

"Hey Blink," Sunshine shouted back with a smile on her face.

I looked around hoping no one had heard them screaming at each other. _She should be more careful,_ I thought, _my mama would kill me if I got expelled on my first day_. Storm, Blink, and the other boy finally made it to the fence. I noticed that all three boys were giving me strange looks.

"Hey Sun, whose dis," Storm asked his sister.

"This is Clara," Sunshine said. "She just got here today; I hope you don't mind me invitin' her to come along with us for lunch."

"Of course not," Storm said. Then he turned to me and smiled. "Hello Clara, I'm Storm. I'se wondering, do ya like blondes."

I blinked fastly at Storm several times and raised my eyebrows, not knowing what to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sunshine roll her eyes and folded her arms.

"Storm, you leave her alone," Sunshine said with a mean look. "You ain't her type, so back off."

"You know I'm jokin' Sun," Storm said in defense. "I wouldn't hit on your friends like that. Well, with you'se around at least."

Sunshine rolled her eyes at her brother while Storm grinned at his two friends that had kept quiet the whole time they've been here.

"Clara," Sunshine said. "I'd like you to meet Racetrack and Kid Blink; they're Manhattan Newsies like my brother. And probably the closest things I have to best friends."

"Hi Clara," the one with the eye patch said. "I'se Kid Blink, nice to meet ya."

"Hey," the other one said. "I'se Racetrack."

"Hi," I said shyly.

"We better get goin'," Storm said.

Everyone nodded and took off in the direction Storm, Racetrack, and Kid Blink had come from. I walked awkwardly behind the four of them until Racetrack slowed his pace and walked beside me. I offered him a small smile in which he returned. Sunshine had noticed that I wasn't walking by her side anymore and slowed her pace as well. She gave me a big grin then continued talking with her brother.

* * *

><p>I was currently listening to Kid Blink, Storm, and Racetrack tell me about how they had won a strike a few months back in July against the biggest newspaper publisher in New York. They told me about how they got other boroughs to join in the strike, by convincing a Newsie called Spot Conlon from Brooklyn to help them. They talked about a huge rally they had with all the other boroughs which had ended in a fight between the Newsies and the police; a few Newsies had been arrested in the end as well. They ended their story by telling me they had gotten a bunch of sweat shop kids to join in on the strike to persuaded Joseph Pulitzer to lower the cost of papers down.<p>

"Look, we're here," Sunshine said. "Come on Clara, Tibby's food is incredible and 100% better then the food you'll ever get back at the academy."

She grabbed my wrist and sprinted towards the door of the restaurant, she shoved the door open and stopped just before she was about to hit a waiter carrying food. She gave him an apologetic smile; he just shook his head and continued on. I become aware that everyone in the restaurant was staring at us, well me; I could see they were confused at who I was and why I was here.

"Hi guys," Sunshine said happily. "This is my friend Clara, she's gonna eat with us today."

"Hey dere," a boy with a cowboy hat on his back smiled. "I'se Jack Kelley, nice to meet ya, Clara."

"Movin' along," Sunshine said after greeting Jack. "That's David and his younger brother Les, over there is Mush, Boots, Crutchy, Skittery, Snipeshooter, Specs, Pie Eater, Bumlets, Dutchy, Swifty, Itey, Snoddy, and Jake."

Some said hi, others nodded their heads in my direction and I smiled at them in turn. Sunshine pushed me towards an open both while Storm, Racetrack, Kid Blink, Jack, and kid whose name I couldn't remember followed. I scooted to the end of the both so the others could fit in and be comfortable. Sunshine sat by me and her brother, while Storm sat by Kid Blink and Racetrack, and Jack sat at the other end by the kid whose name I couldn't remember.

"You should have the hamburger, Clara," Sunshine said. "They're to die for; I think they're the best thing that Tibby's has!"

"I, um, don't eat meat," I said uncomfortably.

Sunshine and the boys around the table looked over at me; I shrunk a little in my sit.

"Oh, well," Sunshine said unsurely. "I'm sure they have something that you can have."

"Oh, no, it's fine," I said quickly. "I didn't even bring money to pay."

"We ain't gonna let ya starve, Clara," said Jack seriously. "One of us could pay for it and you'se can just pay us back later."

"No, it's fine, really," I said. "I'm not even hungry anyway."

And that was the truth, I wasn't hungry; I had a huge lunch on the train that had brought me to Manhattan.

"You sure?" Sunshine asked unsurely.

"Yeah," I said quickly. "I'm just going to go outside for a minute, okay?"

Sunshine nodded her head but she looked troubled. I smiled at her and the boys sitting at the table before walking out the door to the street. Just as I was turning the corner, a boy ran right into me.

"Watch where you'se goin'," he barked.

"I'm so sorry," I said rapidly.

I looked to see he was about two inches taller than me with ice blue eyes and a smirk was playing on his face. He was wearing a cap but I could his dirty blonde hair peaking out. _He's cute_, I thought, _but a jerk_.

"Did you'se just come from Tibby's," he asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Was a Newsie named Jack Kelly in dere," he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Tanks," he say before walking pass me and into Tibby's.

_I hope I never met him again,_ I thought.

**Hope you liked it :)**

**I hope I got the describing of Racetrack's and Kid Blink's clothes right. And yes, I know I totally failed at speaking like a Newsie but I'm trying.**

**Xo**

**RealityIsNegotiable**


	3. Jester

**A/N Sorry it took so long to update, I've just been really busy and I didn't know what to write for this story. I was in a writer's block so you could say.**

**Also I replaced this chapter with a new one, nothing has changed, and I just noticed a lot of mistakes in here.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

><p>Sunshine was joking around with Kid Blink and Mush when the room suddenly got quiet. She saw from the corner of her eye Jack getting up with a solemn look on his face. Sunshine looked over to where everyone had their eyes set on and saw none other than Spot Conlon. As always, Spot had his cocky smirk on his lips but this time it didn't reach his eyes. In fact, if you looked closely enough, you would see a little bit of worry in his ice blue eyes. Sunshine glanced over at her brother, hoping for an answer but Storm just shrugged his shoulders and turned back to watch Spot with narrow eyes.<p>

Sunshine sighed at her brother's behavior. Storm had never really liked Spot because when the siblings had first arrived, the Brooklyn Newsie had tried to flirt with Sunshine; Storm definitely did not appreciate it. But Storm knew better than to pick a fight with the self-proclaimed king of Brooklyn.

"Hey, Jacky-boy," Spot said. "How's it rollin'?"

"What'd ya doin' heah Spot," Jack questioned. "Ise can tell that dis ain't no friendly visit."

Spot didn't say anything; he stood there and waited for Jack to catch on to something. After a few tense moments of silence, Jack glanced over at Racetrack and in turn Racetrack slightly nodded his head. Jack walked over to Spot and together they walked out the front door of Tibby's. Every Newsie in the restaurant was quiet until the chatter started to pick up and get louder with each passing second. Sunshine, though, was worried and didn't feel like eating anymore. She put her hamburger back on the plate and sat there. She had seen the look in Spot's eyes that something wrong and probably needed help from the Manhattan Newsies. But then Sunshine snorted and rolled her eyes.

_Spot would rather get soaked a couple of times then ask for help, _Sunshine thought.

Still, she was worried. Sunshine looked out the window and saw Jack and Spot talking. Their heads were close together and they would both stop talking when a person on the street would walk by. She continued to stare at them until she felt a cold hand grab her wrist. She looked away from the two leaders and saw her brother looking at her.

"Youse okay Sun," Storm asked quietly.

She nodded but didn't say anything. Suddenly Jack and Spot came back into Tibby's. The Manhattan Newsies quieted down yet again, waiting to see what either leader would say. Spot nodded to Jack before he turned around and headed out the door without a word.

"Okay, fellas," Jack said. "We gots to talk. Now. Storm, Blink, and Race you needs to take Sun and Clara back to da academy."

Storm looked like he was about to protest but Jack gave him a stern look and he stayed quiet. Every Newsie suddenly got up at once and headed to the door. Sunshine was walking over to the door when she saw Clara standing off to the side, a confused look on her face.

"Hey, Clara," Sunshine yelled over the noise. "Over here."

I walked back into Tibby's to see everyone was leaving the restaurant. I quickly got out of the way of the boys and stood off to the side, hoping I would see Sunshine or one of the Newsies that came to the academy. I wasn't so sure I could get back to the school on my own.

"Hey, Clara," I heard Sunshine yell. "Over here."

* * *

><p>I looked over to where I thought I heard Sunshine's voice and saw she was waving at me, a big grin on her face. I smiled a little and waited until she was beside me before walking out of Tibby's. I noticed that all the Newsies were heading to the right. They were talking loudly and excitedly about something big going on.<p>

"We have to go back to the academy now," Sunshine said. "Where is my brother?"

I looked around and saw that Storm, Kid Blink, and Racetrack were all standing around Jack. Jack was talking with them seriousness written across his face. The three boys nodded their heads before walking over to Sunshine and Clara. I watched curiously as the three boys formed a triangle around Sunshine and I. Racetrack and Kid Blink were in the back while Storm took the lead. The three boys didn't say a word to us; they just started to walk towards the academy, Kid Blink and Racetrack pushed us gently. I glanced over at Sunshine and gave her a questioning look but she just shrugged her shoulders and tried to catch up to Storm.

"What's goin' on Storm?" Sunshine asked.

"Nothin'," Storm said.  
>Storm sped up his pace and Sunshine dropped back to walk with me. No spoke as we walked back to the academy, it seemed everyone was off in their own world. Sunshine was looking directly at her brother's back, as if staring at him would do anything. Kid Blink was looking straight forward, his lips in a straight line but he smiled slight when I turned back to look at him. Racetrack was slowly smoking a cigar, shifting his eyes every once in a while. And Storm, well, I couldn't see him face but I expected he had a serious look on his face as well.<p>

Our group had been walking for a few minutes before Storm stopped abruptly, almost causing Sunshine to run into his back. Luckily she pulled back just in time not to and gave her brother a look for stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Behind me, I noticed that Kid Blink was confused as to why we stopped while Racetrack was looking in the same direction as Storm. I watched from the corner of my eye, Racetrack nudge Kid Blink with his elbow and point in the direction of interest. I looked over at Sunshine and she gave me a confused look that I probably had on my face as well.

Sunshine and I both looked over to where everyone was staring at; a couple of boys around our age were walking toward our group with grins on their faces. I felt an arm snake around mine and pull me back; I looked behind me and saw Racetrack had grabbed me. He didn't even look at me; he just kept his eyes on the approaching boys. Racetrack then took a step ahead and stood protectively in front of me. I glanced over at Sunshine to see Kid Blink had done the same thing with her. I noticed Sunshine didn't look confused anymore, her face a twisted into a look of disgust and hatred.

"What are you doin' heah, Jester," said Racetrack. "Youse should know dis is 'Hatten territory. Scum like you don't belong heah."

Jester chuckled a little before stepping further than the rest of the boys in his pack. There were seven of them, not including Jester, and all of them were smirking at our small group. I noticed that all eight of them were built strongly and looked mean and tough. I subconsciously took a step closer to Racetrack who took a quick glance back at me.

"Aw, Race, don't be so cold," Jester said sarcastically.

I watched as Jester's eyes swept over everyone in our group slowly. His eyes landed on Sunshine and his already present smirk intensified. Storm seemed to notice Jester staring at his sister and he started to bristle with anger. Storm took a step back and stood in front of Sunshine along with Kind Blink who was also glaring at the boy in front of us.

"Heya Sun," Jester teased. "Ise missed ya, doll face. How ya been?"

I looked over to Sunshine slowly; her hands were clenched in a tight fist and her face had become twisted in repulsion. She turned her head away from Jester who laughed at her and took another step toward her. Storm, instead of stepping back to protect Sunshine, took a step toward Jester. Jester looked back at his group with a smirk on his face and laughed, his friends laughed along with him.

"Look at dis clown," Jester laughed.

Storm clasped his fist together much like Sunshine was doing but didn't say a word to grinning boy in front of us. Jester stared at Sunshine for a few more seconds before continuing looking at all of us one by one. His grey eyes finally rested on me and shrived under his intense look. I watched as his face twisted into amusement as he continued staring at me. Racetrack seemed to notice and took a step in front of me to cover Jester view.

"Who are you, sweetheart," Jester asked. "Ise don't tink I've seen youse around before. Now don't tell me dat youse hangin around these chumps! Why don't you come with me and I'll show youse a good time."

My eyebrows raised in shock and disgust at the boy who persisted in staring at me.

"Or youse can leave," a cold voice behind me said.

I turned around to see Jack standing less than three feet behind me with the same boy I had run into earlier. They were both glaring at Jester who turned his eyes to look at the two newcomers.

"Well if it ain't Jack Kelly and Spot Conlnon," Jester leered. "Ise hasn't seen you two in quite some time. But I'll have to get to you two later, Ise in the middle of makin a new friend. Ya know it's rude to interrupt a conversion."

I turned back and watched in silence as Jester's pack came forward to stand by their apparent leader; they were all glaring hatefully at Jack and this Spot person. I felt a warm hand grab mine; I twisted around to see Jack had taken it. He pulled me away from Racetrack and placed me protectively behind himself. Spot glanced at me before walking slowly over to where Jester was standing with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. As Spot drew closer I noted that Jester's cocky smile dimmed a little and he straightened up somewhat.

"As Jacky-boy said," Spot started. "Youse should leave before tings get ugly, Jester. You sees Ise ain't in a very good mood and Ise gladly take it out on you."

Jester glared down at Spot before looking behind him and his gang of boys. He nodded slightly before turning back to look at me, his disgusting smirk returned. Jack stepped in front of me just like Racetrack had done before to block Jester view of me.

"Ise be seein you around, sweetheart," Jester said.

I peaked around Jack and saw Jester was retreating the way he had come; he and his friends had left without a glance behind them. Nobody said a word until Jester's last friend disappeared in the horizon. Sunshine and Kid Blink rushed over to where Jack and I were standing. I was about to speak but before I could, Sunshine spoke up.

"What the hell, Jack," Sunshine said angrily. "When were you gonna tell me that he was back! Oh, oh, this is not good!"

"I-," Jack started to say but was interrupted by Sunshine.

"He's also noticed Clara," Sunshine exclaimed. "You know what happens when Jeter shows an interest in something!"

"Sun, calm down," Storm said coming up behind his sister. "Clara is safe as long as she's at da academy, he can't get in dere."

Sunshine nodded her head but fear was still playing in her eyes when she looked back over at me. I was confused as ever as to what was going on. I gave Sunshine a questioning look but she shook her head and mouthed she'd tell me back at the academy.

"We'se gots to get you two back to da academy, now," Jack said.

Both Sunshine and I nodded but didn't say a word as Jack went to go talk to Spot, who had stayed quiet this whole time. Finally after a few moments, Jack and Spot came back to where everyone was standing.

"Let's go," Jack said, nodding to Storm, Racetrack, and Kid Blink.

Sunshine and I stayed together as all seven of us; Spot came from some reason, headed back to the academy in silence. As soon as we arrived at the gate where Sunshine and I had climb over, Storm and Sunshine said a quick goodbye before the Newsies helped us over the fence. The Newsies stayed where they were until Sunshine and I made it up onto the roof okay. Sunshine looked back to wave at her brother but the five Newsies had already turned around and were headed back home. Sunshine sighed in disappointment before crawling over to the window where we had come out of.

She dropped down and swung into the window without a problem then she looked back up at me and beckoned me to follow her. I took a deep breath before crawling down the building and jumping into the small window. I sighed in relief that I had made it back without a breaking bone but my relief short lived when I saw Charlotte standing in the corner of the room. My mouth slowly opened in shock, Sunshine gave me a questioning glance but all I could do was point over to where Charlotte was standing. Sunshine gasped and backed up to where I was. Charlotte was looking at us with wide eyes, the sheets she was holding dropped from her hands.

"Felicity, Clara," Charlotte said slowly. "Please tell me you didn't just sneak back in from sneaking out."

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out; I looked to Sunshine and saw she was in the same position.

"You know I'm going to have to tell Ms. Adams," Charlotte sighed.

"No you can't," cried Sunshine. "We'll get expelled! Please Miss. Charlotte, don't tell Ms. Adams! We promise we won't do it again!"

Sunshine looked at Charlotte with pleading eyes while Charlotte looked between Sunshine and I. Charlotte's brown eyes were filled with sympathy but she shook her head slowly, signifying that she going to tell Ms. Adams.

"I'm so sorry girls," Charlotte said shaking her head. "But you know the rules. Come with me."

Sunshine and I sighed in distress and followed Charlotte without a word. We stood shoulder to shoulder as we walked the gloomy halls of Eleanor Grove's Academy. Sunshine turned to me and mouthed that she was sorry and I nodded, accepting her apologize even thought she didn't do anything wrong. Charlotte knocked on Ms. Adams large wooden door and waited for a reply from the headmistress. After Ms. Adams told them to enter, Charlotte pushed open the door and motioned for us to come in. I swallowed hard and followed after Sunshine who held her head high as she basically entered the dragon's dungeon.

"What," Ms. Adams hissed.

I tried not to gag as the aroma of the room continued to enter my nose. The smell of peppermint and tears flooded my senses.

"Well ma'm," Charlotte said before looking at us one more time. "I caught these two doing something."

"Yes, yes, what is it," Ms. Adams asked impatiently.

"They were," Charlotte paused. "They were doing extra chores around the house."

I let out my breath and looked over at Charlotte, who refused to even glance to where we were standing. I looked over at Sunshine whose eyes shined brightly after Charlotte spoke.

"Really," Ms. Adams said. "Interesting. I do not know why you are telling this to me though Charlotte as I do not care. It is great these young ladies are doing extra chores but when they are married off, there will be no extra chores just chores. At least they are learning early. Now leave."

Sunshine, Charlotte, and I scrambled out of the room as fast as we could. Charlotte shut the door quietly before turning toward Sunshine and I.

"Thank you so much Miss. Charlotte," Sunshine said before Charlotte could speak. "We really appreciate this."

"Yes, yes," Charlotte said. "But if I catch you girls sneaking out or in ever again I shall tell Ms. Adams, you hear?"

We both nodded our heads and watched Charlotte leave down the hall where she left the sheets. I turned toward Sunshine and smiled at her, she grinned back before losing her smile and becoming serious.

"It's time I tell you about Jester," Sunshine said bitterly. "Come on."


	4. Jester's Story

**A/N I am so, so, so, sorry for this taking so long but it is not my fault! When I turned on my laptop one day, the blue screen of death popped up. I sent it in to the computer shop or whatever it is called and I just got it back yesterday. So I've been working on this chapter for you guys and so I could put it out today.**

**I'm not sure if I really like this chapter, you guys can be the judge of it.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and stuff, it means so much to me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, I only own Sunshine, Storm, Jinx, Clara, Jester, Min, Rogue, Izy, Rumble, Ms. Adams, and Charlotte.**

* * *

><p>"Jester came to Manhattan about six months ago," Sunshine started. "He was lookin' for a place to stay for a couple of days and Jack allowed him into the Lodging House, of course. Jester never left though and at first it was no big deal but after a month passed, he started to act really strange. He began to disobey Jack and acted like he was the one in charge; at one point I believe he started stealin' from the other Newsies. By the end of the month Jack, and the rest of the Newsboys, were sick of it and Jack decided to kick Jester out of Manhattan. Jester went quite willing and no one heard anything from him for a month and a half so we thought it was in the past.<p>

That was our mistake unfortunately. While he was gone, Jester had went to The Bronx and made friends with The Bronx's future leader, Izy. They formed a group consisting of twenty boys and overthrew the former leader, Min. Of course no one knew Min was kicked out of The Bronx because he had always been anti-social and never let his boys attend any gatherings with the other boroughs unless it was important."

"Why didn't Min go to another borough?" I asked, curious.

"Well for one, Min was too proud to do that," Sunshine said seriously. "Actually, pretty much all the Newsies are too self-righteous to get help when they need it, especially Brooklynites. But anyway, the only reason we found out that Min was exiled was because Queens' Newsies found his body floating the Hudson River four weeks after Jester left."

My mouth dropped open in shock; Sunshine turned away from me and looked out the small window. Sunshine stayed like that for a few minutes before turning back to me to continue the story.

"After they found the body, Izy came out of hiding," Sunshine started up again. "He told the other boroughs he was now the leader of The Bronx Newsies without explaining why Min's body was in the river. Everyone knew it was murder and they knew Jester, Izy, and their group of thugs had something to do with it but the other boroughs got over it quickly because it isn't something new; murder for power is normal around here."

"Didn't the police investigate?" I asked, astonishment written across my face.

"Why would they?" Sunshine countered. "They don't care about Newsies, their philosophy: the fewer street rats there are, the better. Going back to the story, Jack wasn't worried at first because Jester and Izy didn't cause any problems for three months but then Bronx Newsies started to cross into Manhattan territory frequently and always had the excuse they didn't realize they had crossed the border. After a while, Jack was sick of it and decided to call for a meeting between Bronx and Manhattan with Queens as a mediator at Izy's request.

Before Jack could attend the meeting one of Spot's birdies had told him that Queens and The Bronx had formed an alliance and were planning on taking over Manhattan by killing Jack."

"Oh my," I whispered, ready for the story to be over.

Suddenly there was a brief knock then the door swung open to reveal a very displeased Ms. Adams and a scared looking Charlotte. Sunshine immediately stood up and went still when she looked at the two women in front of us. I stood up a few seconds after Sunshine and stared at Ms. Adams

"You," Ms. Adams said icily.

Sunshine opened her mouth but before she could speak Ms. Adams quickly walked over to her and slapped Sunshine. My mouth opened in disbelief, from the corner of my eye I saw Charlotte do the same. Ms. Adams looked over at me and glared. I shifted back a little under Ms. Adams intense look.

"Get that stupid look off your face, child," Ms. Adams commanded. "And you, you are coming with me."

Ms. Adams grabbed Sunshine's wrist and pulled her so hard that I thought she might rip Sunshine's arm out of its socket. Ms. Adams pushed passed Charlotte who had been standing behind the doorframe the whole time. I stood there in amazement for a few minutes before turning to Charlotte who hadn't moved an inch.

"Wh-what was that about?" I asked.

"A bystander saw a couple of Newsboys walking away from the school," Charlotte whispered after a few silent seconds. "When word got back to Ms. Adams, she knew that Felicity had been sneaking out and now she believes she has proof. She called the School Board; she scheduled a meeting to get Felicity expelled."

"What," I choked.

"The meeting isn't until next Tuesday," said Charlotte. "Until then, Felicity will be spending the next week in solitary confinement."

* * *

><p><strong>Storm<strong>

Storm, Race, Blink, Spot, and Jack had finally gotten back to the Manhattan after dropping off Sunshine and Clara. The trip was quiet, with each boy lost in their own thoughts. As the boys climbed the stairs, Storm listened for the usual noise of Newsies talking and playing poker coming from upstairs but tonight it was silent. When they reached the room, they saw that every Newsies was sitting quietly, not even the normal loud mouths were talking. As soon as the group took a step through door, every eye turned to the returning boys. Storm shifted his eyes away and took a small step back; his sister was the one who liked the attention, not him.

Jack paused to look at his boys before heading to his bed but before he could reach it a Newsie ran out and grabbed onto Jack's legs; it was Rogue, a small, six year old girl Newsie. Rogue looked up at Jack with tears in her blue eyes; Storm could tell she was frightened for whatever reason. Jack looked down at her and his hard expression turned to a gentle, compassionate one. Though he'd never admit it, Jack had always had a soft spot for little kids.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Jack questioned.

"Rumble said dat Jester is comin' back ta get me," Rogue sniffed, now holding onto Jack's arm.

Jack's eyes snapped up and looked over at the Newsie in question with a cold expression on his face. Rumble, a large, twelve year old Newsie, face turned cherry red when Jack's icy eyes turned to look at him. Jack looked back at Rogue and his eyes softened again.

"Now why would he say dat?" Jack asked.

"Because I wanted ta play poker with his cards," Rogue said. "And I took dem without askin' first. He said dat because I took without askin', Jester will get Jester really comin' back ta hurt us?"

Storm saw Jack swallow hard before standing up with Rogue in his arms. He looked down at Rogue for a second before gazing at every Newsie in front of him. Storm did the same and saw that each Newsie had at least some level of fear in their eyes; it was amazing how much panic one Newsie could cause. Jack turned around to face Blink, Race, Storm, and Spot, Storm could tell that he didn't know what to say. Jack then turned his sole attention to Spot as if asking for help from the Brooklynite.

"He ain't no threat," Spot said loudly and confidently, a smirk appearing on his face. "It's just like you 'Hattaners ta freak out over nothin'."

Spot's words caused an uproar of disagreements from the crowd of Newsies which, Storm guessed, was exactly what Spot wanted. Jack put Rogue down after whispering words of comfort into her ears before turning to face Spot again. The two exchanged a silent look then they headed back down the stairs to talk in private. Storm watched them completely disappear before turning around to see Jinx standing three feet away from him. Jinx's honey brown eyes were filled with worry and her light blonde hair, that was usually pulled back, was falling onto her face. Storm smiled reassuringly at the girl in front of him.

Storm had met Jinx a week after his parents died; she had seen him and Sunshine sitting on a street curb, Storm was holding Sunshine while she cried. Even though Storm is Sunshine's brother, he didn't know how to comfort his grieving sister when he was still grieving himself. Jinx had come over and sat with them while Sunshine told Jinx how she knew it was her fault their parents were dead. Sunshine had tried cooking without the supervision of their mother and soon after the kitchen quickly went up into flames. Their parents told Storm to get himself and Sunshine out of harm's way while they tried to douse the flames. They didn't get out of the house in time and perished in the fire.

Jinx had comforted Sunshine after the story was told and kept telling his sister that it wasn't her fault and bad luck played a part in their parents' death. She then offered Sunshine and Storm a place to stay for a while until they were ready to make it on their own. Jinx had taken them to the Manhattan Lodging House and convinced Jack to let the siblings stay. Only a few days after arriving at the Lodging House, police had turned up to take custody of his sister and bring her to the academy because she was only fifteen. They left Storm because they considered seventeen old enough to survive the streets of New York. Jinx had let Storm cry in her arms over his lost parents and sister. That was the first and only time Storm had ever cried.

"Heya Jinx," Storm said, as a smile developed on his face.

"What's goin' on Ryan?" Jinx asked solemnly.

Storm's smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. Jinx never calls Storm by his real name unless she was serious or scared. He opened his arms wide for Jinx to jump into, which she did with no hesitation. Storm immediately closed his arm around the small sixteen year old and stroked her hair soothingly.

"Don't worry 'bout it Evelyn," Storm said, also using Jinx's real name. "Everyting will be okay. I'se promise."

Jinx smiled slightly before letting go of Storm and trying to pull out of his hug. Storm in turn tightened his grip of Jinx, refusing to let her go. She laughed and finally got free of Storm's grasp; she then bounced away from him and mouthed the word 'come with me'. He smiled at her and nodded his head but put up his index finger signifying he'd be there in a minute. He turned around to see Spot and Jack had returned from their 'meeting'. Storm walked over to the two leaders who were now talking to Race and Mush.

"Hey Jack," Storm said as soon as he reached the group. "Can I go see my sister tomorrow?"

"I'se don't know, Storm," Jack said, rubbing his chin. "I don't tink it would be a good idea ta brings Sunshine out of da academy at da moment."

"I'se wouldn't make her leave," said Storm quickly. "I'd talk ta her from da fence or someting."

"Okay," Jack said after a moment. "But take some boys with you."

Storm nodded before turning to Race and Mush.

"You guys wanna come?" Storm asked.

"I'll come," Spot said before either Mush or Race could speak. "I'se stayin' here tonight and have ta head back to Brooklyn tomorrow, might as well go with ya."

Storm narrowed his eyes at the Brooklyn king, not sure if he could trust him. Even though their boroughs were allies, Storm just couldn't bring himself to like the fearless Brooklynite after he tried to get with Storm's sister soon after arriving with the Newsies. Finally Storm nodded slowly and turned his attention back to Race and Mush.

"Why not," Mush said, shrugging his shoulders. "It'll be nice ta see Sun again."

"Sure," Racetrack said, letting out a puff a smoke. "Now who wants ta play some poker?"

The boy surrounding Race all groaned and shook their heads. The Newsies had played a big poker game last night and Race had ended up cleaning out most of the boys in the Lodging House. Needless to say, no wants to play poker with Racetrack anytime soon.

"What?" Racetrack questioned innocently. "Youse scared your gonna lose or someting?"

"I'll play ya Race," Spot said boldly. "Don't get to upset when I beat ya."

Racetrack laughed and shook his head before pulling out a deck of cards. Spot and Racetrack headed to a table and sat down, Storm, Jack, and Mush followed closely behind. Newsies started to gather around to watch in anticipation of the game. Storm grabbed Jinx's hand from behind and pulled her so she was standing next to him. She smiled brightly at him before turning back to the upcoming game.

"Ise don't tink I'll be welcome in Brooklyn after dis game," Race laughed.

Spot smirked and reached in his pocket, he pulled out ten cents and slammed it down on the table. Racetrack also pulled out ten cents and then slowly put it on the table.

"Good luck, Race," Spot said sarcastically.

* * *

><p><strong>Clara<strong>

I was currently pacing up and down the hallway of the academy thinking about how I could help Sunshine. I wasn't able to sleep last night after finding out that my only friend at this horrible place might be expelled. Charlotte tried to reassure me that the School Board wouldn't expel Sunshine over something that had little proof but I didn't believe her. Even though I've known Ms. Adams for less than three days, I already knew that the woman was a terrible person and would do anything to get her way. I had tried to convince Charlotte to let me see Sunshine but she stood her ground and refused to let me talk to Sunshine. Charlotte had said it's called solitary confinement for a reason.

Suddenly I heard knocking coming from Sunshine's room; I paused in mid-step and turned to Sunshine's half closed door. The knocking started again but this time is was somewhat louder. I glanced around me quickly before heading into Sunshine's abandoned room. I shut the door behind me and walked rapidly towards the window, which was covered by curtains. I opened the curtains to see Storm standing on the ledge, his hand in the position to knock. My mouth fell open in surprise and I immediately opened the window.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

"Ta see Sunshine," Storm said. "Can I'se come in? I'se don't feel like fallin' ta my death today."

I ushered him in quickly and was about to shut the window when a pair of legs come into my view. I looked up and saw Racetrack and two other boys, whose names I couldn't remember.

"Storm!" I said panicky. "What is this?"

Storm didn't answer me, he just watched outside the window in case one of his friends fell. I stayed silent while the three more boys crowded into the small room without any trouble. When everyone was in and the window as shut, I turned to Storm with hands on my hips and I questioning look on my face.

"Well?" I asked.

"I'se told ya," Storm said. "I'se came ta see my sista."

"All of you had to come?" I asked, looking at each boy in turn. "I could get in huge trouble if someone catches us in here."

"Don't worry 'bout it," said the boy with icy blue eyes. "We ain't stayin' long."

"And you are?" I asked.

"Spot Colnon at your service," he said with a mock bow.

I stared at Spot for a few second before twisting away from him and turned my attention back on Storm to break the bad news to him.

"Sunshine got caught sneaking out," I said slowly, unsure how to tell Storm gently. "Some man saw you guys walking away from the academy yesterday and reported it to Ms. Adams who in turn told the School Board."

"What," Storm said, his face pale.

"Ms. Adams called a meeting," I continued. "It isn't until next Tuesday so Sunshine has to spend the next week in solidity. I tried to get Charlotte to let me see her but she refused and said she wasn't going to help me break anymore rules."

Storm stared at me for a few quiet seconds before turning away in anger. Racetrack, Spot, and the other boy stayed where they were but looked away from me. I noticed Spot would glance at me a couple of times but the looks would only last a few milliseconds. After a few minutes of painful silence, Storm finally turned around to face me again.

"Do youse know where they'll send her," Storm asked. "Ise mean, if she get's expelled."

"No," I said honestly. "But when I first met Sunshine, she said they gave her two options; either come to the academy or somewhere else. She never told me what the other place was. Maybe you know?"

"No, Ise don't," Storm said.

"They'll take her to an orphanage," Spot spoke up. "Dat's where they take all da orphans."

I watched as Storm clenched and unclenched his fists several times in anger. I wanted to reassure Storm that his sister wouldn't go to an orphanage but to be honest; I didn't know what would happen to Sunshine and I didn't want to ease Storm's worries if I didn't know for sure.

"I'll come back tomorrow," Storm said. "Find out as much as youse can."

I nodded my head and watched Storm head back to the window and hopped out without another word to me or his companions. After watching Storm leave, the three boys turned back to me.

"Later Clara," Racetrack said, pulling me into a quick hug before following Storm.

"I don't tink we met before," said the dark haired boy. "I'se Mush."

"I'm Clara," I said. "See you around"

Mush nodded before following Racetrack and Storm out the window. Spot stayed for a few more seconds before nodded his head at me and following the other Newsies out the window. I closed the window and curtains before walking out of the room. I shut the door and stayed still for a moment before turning around to go back to my room. Just before I was about to shut my door, someone put their foot out to stop it. I looked up to see Tally sneering at me.

"Don't think you got away," Tally said.

"Excuse me," I said, genuinely confused.

"I heard male voices coming from Felicity's room," Tally said, with a stupid look on her face. "It was probably her brother, right? Well, you can tell him that his sister will be going to the orphanage where she belongs after the board is through with her. And don't worry; you'll get to go home to Pennsylvania real soon."

With that, Tally left down the hall, her nose stuck up in the air and her hips swaying a little. I closed my door slowly in shock. I think this is the first time I have ever truly been scared of another human being.

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><p><strong>AN Well that's the end of this chapter. What did you guys think? Did you like it? I'm sorry that there isn't a lot of Clara/Spot yet, I just don't want to rush things and make a crappy story. Oh and I started school two weeks ago so chapters might be slow for the time being. But I'll try updating every week or so if I can :)**

**But anyway, today is the tenth anniversary of 9/11 :( I can't believe it has been that long since that horrible day. When I see images from that day, I always want to cry because it is so hard to believe someone could be capable of doing such a terrible thing to fellow human beings. I know I'll never can or will forget 9/11 and I hope you guys never will too. **

**I also like to dedicate this chapter to those who lost their lives on September 11****th ****and the brave souls who went into the towers and the Pentagon to save people. This is also for the brave passengers of Flight 93 who gave their lives trying to regain the plane and protect more American lives. **

"**How could we have known what would happen that day? When our Nation's freedom was tried? A hateful act brought our buildings down and innocent people died."**

**God Bless America and Freedom**

_**Fun Fact: Ms. Adams is named after my ninth grade English teacher. She isn't as cruel as Ms. Adams in this story but she was up there.**_

**Xoxo**

**RealityIsNegotiable**


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